This invention relates generally to photograph albums. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus for conveniently cataloguing and retrieving photographic prints and negatives. Photographs and negatives are both stored together in an aesthetically designed case, which is conveniently sized to fit on a desk or library shelf.
Heretofore, the common practice has been to arrange and mount photographs on a latex-coated thin cardboard sheet, such sheet constructed with an overlay of a transparent sheet of synthetic resin film material to protect the photographs, and then to place a plurality of such sheets into a conventional ring binder. Other photograph album page structures have been proposed, along the same lines, in an effort to protect photographs from curling, dirt, scratches and so forth. These album page constructions, however, have proven costly to manufacture and less than desirable in important respects; such as the ease of inserting or removing individual photographs, the ease of substituting or changing the order of photographs, the ease of viewing the photographs without glare caused by the film overlays and the facility with which the photographs can be grouped and identified by pen markings.
Also known in common usage, of course, are a variety of desk-top photograph cubes and display apparatus. These devices are intended for the display of a few photographs only; and are not suitable for cataloguing a large quantity of photographs in a compact location.
Wentges U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,738 discloses a book-like photograph album comprised of a plurality of mounting tongues, with photographs adhesively connected thereto. An elastic band holds the mounting tongues together. While the Wentges album facilitates the viewing of individual photographs, it does not provide any means for labelling or otherwise identifying the contents of the photograph album; nor does Wentges disclose any means for storing or cataloguing his photograph albums.
While the aforementioned photograph album devices have been useful, they are not altogether satisfactory. In addition to the foregoing reasons, it is important to note that none of the prior art devices provides a means for storing or cataloguing negatives with the photographs. Thus, they do not address the frequent problem of having to find the negative, corresponding to a photograph in an album, when it is desired to have a duplicate print made of such photograph.